Encourage your son to connect with alumni

By Brady O'Brien '13

There is such a thing as a free lunch after all.

Students at Saint John's University have the opportunity to participate in a program called Take a Johnnie to Lunch. The program matches a Saint John's alumnus with a student interested in meeting an alumnus based on a common career interest.

And the alumnus will pick up the tab.

"For us, the biggest part is making sure the students know (take a Johnnie to lunch) is available," said Adam Herbst, SJU director of alumni relations. "We have hundreds of alums signed up. We just need more students."

Sometimes, the lunch can lead to more than networking or career advice. Last year, history major Brody Chirpich '12 had lunch with Alex Siebenaler '02. After their meeting, Siebenaler encouraged Chirpich to apply for a position with his company, Thomson Reuters.

"Alex put in a strong recommendation with the search committee, and Brody was granted an interview. Due to Brody's strong skill set, he was offered the job and has been at Thomson Reuters for about six months now," Herbst said.

If your son is interested in participating, direct him to the volunteer link on the alumni section of the CSB/SJU website.